Book Challenge 7/12
Jun. 10th, 2016 09:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
foxinthestarsI took a couple months off from the book challenge, but I'm back on the job with the "book published this year":
"Why Liberals Win the Culture Wars (Even When They Lose Elections)" by Stephen Prothero
Kind of a clickbaity title, huh?
Partly I was drawn to this one because I'd read the author's previous book, "God is Not One," which is basic comparative religion for lay readers. He's less in his own wheelhouse this time (he's a professor of religion) and I'm afraid it shows; this one doesn't seem as tightly edited and convincing. It comes off more like a standard-issue US current-events book.
The basic premises he presents are:
- conservatives almost always start/declare culture wars and fire most of the shots,
- but liberals almost always win,
- because conservatives usually pick fights that are already lost.
He illustrates this with a selection of historical "culture wars," from the time Thomas Jefferson was attacked as a secret Muslim through anti-Catholicism and anti-Mormonism to Prohibition. They're nice history lessons and offer some comforting context, but when he comes to the present he tries to argue that this time really is different, and he ends on a centrist note that doesn't fully fit what came before. He also declares at the outset that race is a separate issue from "culture" and places it largely outside of his scope; it does come up in places, but pushing it to the periphery seems like kind of a questionable decision.
I can't say he made an airtight case for any of his premises, which might be inevitable given the mess he's trying to make sense of. The basic gist of it rings true to my experience for the most part, though. At one point toward the end, he even suggests that culture wars can be "leading indicators" of what US society is in the process of learning to accept, and egad I hope that's true.
Anyway, I'd say it's a none-too-earthshaking current events book, but if the clickbaity title tempts you, it's worth a read.
Challenge progress:
-A book published this year (2016)
-A book you can finish in a day
-A book you've been meaning to read
-A book recommended by your local librarian or bookseller
-A book you should have read in school
-A book chosen for you by [a loved one]
-A book published before you were born
-A book that was banned at some point
-A book you previously abandoned
-A book you own but have never read
-A book that intimidates you
-A book you've already read at least once
My plans always seem to change, but next I'm looking at the "book you own but have never read."
Oh, and I owe you all a post about video game demos, too.
"Why Liberals Win the Culture Wars (Even When They Lose Elections)" by Stephen Prothero
Kind of a clickbaity title, huh?
Partly I was drawn to this one because I'd read the author's previous book, "God is Not One," which is basic comparative religion for lay readers. He's less in his own wheelhouse this time (he's a professor of religion) and I'm afraid it shows; this one doesn't seem as tightly edited and convincing. It comes off more like a standard-issue US current-events book.
The basic premises he presents are:
- conservatives almost always start/declare culture wars and fire most of the shots,
- but liberals almost always win,
- because conservatives usually pick fights that are already lost.
He illustrates this with a selection of historical "culture wars," from the time Thomas Jefferson was attacked as a secret Muslim through anti-Catholicism and anti-Mormonism to Prohibition. They're nice history lessons and offer some comforting context, but when he comes to the present he tries to argue that this time really is different, and he ends on a centrist note that doesn't fully fit what came before. He also declares at the outset that race is a separate issue from "culture" and places it largely outside of his scope; it does come up in places, but pushing it to the periphery seems like kind of a questionable decision.
I can't say he made an airtight case for any of his premises, which might be inevitable given the mess he's trying to make sense of. The basic gist of it rings true to my experience for the most part, though. At one point toward the end, he even suggests that culture wars can be "leading indicators" of what US society is in the process of learning to accept, and egad I hope that's true.
Anyway, I'd say it's a none-too-earthshaking current events book, but if the clickbaity title tempts you, it's worth a read.
Challenge progress:
-A book you should have read in school
-A book that was banned at some point
-A book you previously abandoned
-A book you own but have never read
-A book that intimidates you
My plans always seem to change, but next I'm looking at the "book you own but have never read."
Oh, and I owe you all a post about video game demos, too.
